When my mother and I entered the hall, the ceremony had already begun.
Another thing I had learned about the Valton family was that they rarely tried to assert dominance over others just to display their superiority. I liked that about them, even though I still knew very little about the family. Even without the presence of nobles like me—the grandson of the patriarch—they had not delayed the ceremony.
There were probably other reasons as well, but I was not aware of them.
Mother and I walked toward the stage and took our seats just above it, where a special area had been reserved for us.
A large crowd had gathered for the ceremony. Many had come to discover their talents. At first, I had been confused. If someone possessed a talent, shouldn't they already know about it?
But it wasn't that simple.
According to my mother, the talents and affinities within the human body do not fully develop until the age of ten. Even then, some people never awaken their talents at all. That was why many of the children present today were older than ten.
As I looked toward the vast stage in front of me, I noticed two separate lines forming and moving in different directions.
"Why are they going in different directions, Mom?" I asked.
"One line is for the general public," she replied calmly. "The other is for nobles."
I frowned slightly.
"But why?" I asked. "I thought our family doesn't act superior."
Mother laughed softly.
"Naive child," she said. "Why do you think that is? There have been many incidents in the past. We may not behave arrogantly, but others do not follow the same rule. And tell me—why do you think all these powerful clans are watching this ceremony?"
She paused before answering her own question.
"It's not because of the commoners. They are here for the talents of the nobles."
I thought about her words and began observing the results more carefully. Indeed, the nobles seemed to receive better results more often.
Mother continued, "Remember this well. Among nobles, marriage is rarely about love. It is about power. Everything they do revolves around strengthening their bloodlines."
"If a commoner shows high talent, they are usually absorbed into a noble family's external clan. But if someone shows extraordinary talent—true genius—they might even be accepted as a direct disciple."
So that's why most descendants of noble families were so talented. Even if they weren't geniuses, they were usually above average.
The testing itself was performed using a strange artifact. It resembled a wide bowl with a crystal placed at its center. Surrounding the crystal was a milky liquid.
When a drop of blood from a candidate was poured into the liquid, it would change color. After a short time, it would slowly return to its original milky shade.
The crystal revealed the purity of a person's talent, while the liquid indicated their elemental affinity.
If someone possessed more than one affinity, the liquid would change color multiple times.
The levels of talent purity were divided as follows:
Violet — Genius
Indigo — Exceptional
Blue — Very Good
Green — Good
Yellow — Above Average
Orange — Average
Red — Poor
The elemental affinities were:
Red — Fire
Blue — Water
Yellow — Earth
Green — Wind
Purple — Lightning
White — Light
Black — Darkness
There were also many subcategories within these main elements. For example, Earth included metal and wood, while Water included ice.
Two elderly men stood beside the artifact, overseeing the testing process. Their presence alone was intimidating. Their power was clearly far beyond that of the other staff members present.
Perhaps they were there to protect the artifact.
Strength in this world was divided into several realms:
Class E
Class D
Class C
Class B
Class A
Class S
Each class was further divided into Lower, Middle, Upper, and Peak stages.
For reference, both of the elderly men were Class B cultivators.
Different countries sometimes used different names for these ranks, but the general structure remained the same everywhere.
The testing continued smoothly. The elders collected blood from each candidate and poured it into the milky liquid.
Then something unexpected happened.
A sudden murmur spread through the crowd.
To the shock—and excitement—of everyone present, one boy had awakened Metal Affinity, one of the rarest affinities in existence. As if that wasn't enough, his talent purity was Blue.
"A genius!" people shouted.
Yes… a genius born among the commoners.
Immediately, noble families rushed toward the boy's parents like hungry lions.
The boy's name was John. His family was neither rich nor poor—simply ordinary people.
After much persuasion, praise, and promises, a powerful noble family eventually convinced John's family to join their side.
Once the commotion settled, the ceremony resumed.
Everyone watched eagerly, hoping that they might be the next genius to appear.
But no miracle occurred.
Even among the nobles, no new genius emerged that day. However, several candidates displayed yellow-level talent, and two even achieved green-level talent, which was still enough to make the crowd excited.
After all, every talented individual strengthened the nation—not only against rival kingdoms that sought to devour them, but also against the monsters that still roamed vast portions of the world.
As for me…
I was enjoying the ceremony as well.
Deep down, I hoped that when my turn came, my talent would at least be above average.
So that I, too, could see those same reactions.